Although we are entering the dreaded "Dog
Days" of summer, the cool weather we've enjoyed over the
last few weeks has a lot of people thinking about hunting.

That's not surprising, considering the Sept. 1
dove season opener is less than a month away.

Smart hunters highlighted that square on their
calendars long ago, and they've already begun preparing. First
and foremost is securing permission to hunt traditional dove
hotspots.

"Responsible hunters always get permission
to hunt on private land, and right now is a good time to contact
landowners and make arrangements for dove hunting," said
Alan Peoples, chief of Wildlife for the Oklahoma Department of
Wildlife Conservation. "Dove hunters also should be sure to
pick up a new Migratory Bird Harvest Information Program Permit
before the season begins."

The free HIP permits are required of all
migratory bird hunters in the United States and have been
required in Oklahoma for five years. Data collected from the
surveys helps federal migratory bird biologists better gauge bird
harvests and hunter numbers, which will translate to improved
migratory bird management.

Besides the HIP permit, dove hunters must
possess a resident or non-resident Oklahoma hunting license.
They're available at all authorized license dealers. Only
landowners hunting on their own property and hunters under 16
years of age, or those 64 and older, are exempt from having to
carry the HIP permit while hunting.

Although dove hunting is one of the simplest
forms of recreation available to Oklahoma sportsmen, getting
started can seem complicated for beginners.

It shouldn't be. Besides your hunting license
and HIP permit, all you really need to enjoy this great sport is
a shotgun, some shotgun shells and a place to hunt.

When selecting a shotgun for dove hunting, you
can go as plain or as fancy as your budget allows. You can
purchase a brand new, 12- or 20-gauge slide-action (pump) shotgun
for less than $250, or you can get one used for considerably
less. Perhaps you can even get a friend to loan you a gun. If you
don't want to pay for a top name shotgun, you can often shop
around for good deals on off-brand autoloading shotguns.

When hunting migratory birds like dove, shotgun
magazines must be plugged so that they can't hold more than three
shells (one in the chamber, two in the magazine). Most new
shotguns are already plugged, but older guns might not be. Check
before you go afield.

Selecting a good dove load is simple, too. If
you use a 20-gauge shotgun, you can get by with 7/8-ounce loads,
but one-ounce loads deliver a heavier payload and more energy. A
good 12-gauge dove load should have at least 1 1/8 ounces of
shot. The payload, powder load and shell size are always clearly
marked on the box. Some brands will clearly say in bold letters
if certain loads are intended for dove.

By all means, make sure you select the right
gauge and shell size for your gun. There are three different
sizes of 12-gauge shells (2 3/4-inch, 3-inch and 3 1/2-inch) and
two different sizes for 20-gauge (2 3/4-inch and 3-inch). Don't
ever try to fire a three-inch 12- or 20-gauge shell from a gun
that's chambered for only 2 3/4-inch shells. And, whatever you
do, don't try to load a 20- or 16-gauge shell into a 12-gauge
chamber.

If you need a place to hunt, now is the time to
start scouting for areas that are holding birds and visiting with
landowners for permission to hunt. The sooner you start the
better because if you wait until the last minute, you may find it
more difficult to get permission.

Many of the wildlife management areas owned by
the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation also offer
excellent dove hunting. To help you find the best areas near you,
the Department's Wildlife Management Areas atlas has maps of all
these areas, complete with descriptions of their habitat and what
types of hunting are available at each. It costs $10 and is
available at the Department's main office in Oklahoma City, or by
calling 405/521-3852.

Pay close attention to regulations for public
areas. Some, like Hackberry Flat WMA, allow only the use of
federally approved, non-toxic shot for dove hunting. You can find
out by picking up a copy of the 2000-2001 Oklahoma Hunting
Guide & Regulations, available at all sporting goods
retailers statewide.

To help Oklahoma sportsmen prepare for the
upcoming hunting seasons, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife
Conservation has released its 2000-2001 Hunting Guide &
Regulations, available soon at retail outlets and sporting
goods stores throughout the state.

With dove season less than a month away and
deer seasons following right behind, the new regulations are just
in time to help Oklahoma's sportsmen and sportswomen begin
planning their fall outings. Now is the time to pencil in some
hunting dates, put in for some time off from work and get things
squared away around the house so you can get the most enjoyment
from Oklahoma's autumn hunting opportunities.

Packaged in a handy, colorful booklet, the
2000-2001 Oklahoma Hunting Guide & Regulations is the
most complete and comprehensive set of regulations ever produced
by the Wildlife Department. It has complete information on both
resident and non-resident licenses and permits, season dates and
general hunting regulations. It also has more specific
information for hunting deer and turkey, small game, such as
rabbits and squirrels; upland game, such as pheasant and quail
and migratory birds, such as dove. There's also a section that
details new hunting regulations for this fall.

Also, this year's regulations have a sunrise
and sunset table, as well as individual sections for each of the
Department's wildlife management areas. Each topic and sub-topic
is color coded, making it easier to find the information you need
at a glance.

"The Oklahoma Hunting Guide &
Regulations is the most complete hunting guide available for
Oklahoma sportsmen," said Nels Rodefeld, assistant chief of
the Department's Information and Education Division, "and
best of all, it's free. It has virtually everything you need to
know about hunting safely and legally in Oklahoma."

"We view the hunting regulations as one of
the most important products we offer to the public, and we will
continue to not only improve the information in the regulations,
but also the way that information is presented," he added.

Like last year, the 2000-2001 Hunting Guide
& Regulations features paid advertising to help offset
the cost of printing and designing the bigger and better
booklets. This allows the Department to improve and refine the
regulations without additional cost to the Oklahoma's
license-buying sportsmen and women.

For the second straight year, the results of
the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation's Controlled
Hunts drawings are available over the Internet.

Developed in 1999, this service allows
Controlled Hunts applicants with access to the Internet to see
instantly whether they were drawn for a hunt. In the past,
applicants would spend hours poring through the Controlled Hunts
books on display at the Department's headquarters and regional
offices, often after driving several hours from remote locations.
Those who weren't drawn for a hunt then faced an even longer
drive back home.

The success of electronic notification is
evident in the lack of crowds at the Department's main office
lobby in Oklahoma City. The results became available on July 24,
and by the end of the day, more than 10,000 people had checked
their applications electronically.

"As the personal computer becomes more
useful in our daily lives, the Department has been looking for
ways make its services more readily available over the
Internet," said Melinda Sturgess, chief of administration
for the Department. "We are greatly encouraged by the
success of the electronic notification system for the Controlled
Hunts, and we are pleased that our state's sportsmen have found
it so useful and convenient."

If you have access to a personal computer,
checking the Controlled Hunts results is easy. Simply direct your
web browser to the Department's home page at www.wildlifedepartment.com. Once there, scroll down to the banner that says, "Check
The Results of the 2000-2001 Oklahoma Controlled Hunts."
Enter your social security number or driver's license number (if
different than your social security number), and you'll learn
instantly which hunts, if any, you'll be able to participate in
this fall.

At this year's Association for Conservation
Information's (ACI) Annual Conference at Reno, Nev., Outdoor
Oklahoma was recognized for consistently producing some of
the nation's best conservation information.

Outdoor Oklahoma, the official magazine
of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, took third
place in the best four-color magazine category. Adding to its
tradition of outstanding color photography, Outdoor Oklahoma
also took third place nationally in color photography.

Also, the Department's Information and
Education Division took second place nationally in the media
campaigns category for its promotional efforts surrounding the
dedication of Hackberry Flat Wildlife Management Area in 1999.

Subscriptions to the bi-monthly magazine are
available for only $10 per year and can be ordered by calling
1-800-777-0019. Interested subscribers can ask to be billed
later, or you can pay by credit card.

"It's an honor to our Department and to
our staff to have received this type of national recognition for
the work we do," said Nels Rodefeld, assistant chief of
Information and Education and editor of Outdoor Oklahoma.
"We have a very conscientious staff and strive to
effectively communicate vital outdoor information to our
constituents. It helps that we are fortunate enough to work in a
state where so many people are interested in hunting, fishing and
outdoor recreation in general."

Oklahoma moved a step closer to securing
important federal wildlife resources funding Tuesday as the
Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee passed the
Conservation and Reinvestment Act (CARA, H.R. 701) to the full
Senate.

The committee voted 13-7 in favor of CARA. If
signed into law, CARA would provide the largest infusion of
federal conservation funds in history, $40 billion over the next
15 years, most of which will go to state and local conservation
programs. The bill dedicates revenue from offshore oil and gas
leases to a broad range of conservation activities, including
wildlife, land and water restoration, historic preservation,
outdoor recreation, and conservation education. The House of
Representative passed similar legislation in May by a strong
bipartisan vote of 315-102.

For Oklahoma, CARA would provide about $17
million a year for at least 15 years, said Ron Suttles, head of
the Natural Resources section for the Oklahoma Department of
Wildlife Conservation. About $6 million per year will directly
benefit wildlife resources conservation, while nearly $7 million
per year will benefit tourism. The remainder of the balance will
be used for other purposes, such as landowner assistance.

"With CARA, Congress has a chance to send
a strong and lasting message about the importance of wildlife and
natural resources conservation in America," Suttles said.
"As the agency constitutionally responsible for the
management of Oklahoma's wildlife resources, we are very excited
about the opportunities this bill will provide to ensure the
long-term health of those resources."

The Senate's bipartisan compromise version of
CARA, crafted by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
Chair Frank Murkowski (R-AK) and Ranking Democrat, Jeff Bingaman
(NM), represents a strong and balanced approach that will protect
wildlife, coastal areas, recreation and historic sites at the
national, state, and local levels.

More than 52 senators are now co-sponsoring
CARA or related legislation that would reinvest federal outer
continental shelf oil and gas revenue into conservation,
indicating the growing support for CARA. In addition, all 50
governors support these bills or their concepts and have worked
to move this legislation through Congress.

Emphasizing proactive species management, CARA
will provide funds for conserving important wildlife habitat,
conducting field research to design wildlife management plans,
and working cooperatively with private landowners in a
non-regulatory, incentive based manner, said David Waller,
president of the International Association of Fish and Wildlife
Agencies.

"Expanded funding is necessary for states
to conserve the full spectrum of wildlife," Waller said.
"It will allow states to employ a much needed prevention
approach to wildlife conservation to avoid the listing of
endangered species, along with wildlife-associated education and
recreation. The $350 million that CARA will provide annually for
wildlife conservation will address some of the most serious
wildlife problems facing our nation.

"Conserving wildlife and wildlife habitat
goes hand in hand with meeting the rising demands for nature
tourism, wildlife viewing, and more places close to home to enjoy
nature," he added. "CARA will help us assure that our
children stay connected to the outdoors and the nation maintains
its strong conservation commitment. This is increasingly
important as more and more people move to urban areas and have
less connection with the outdoors."

The Senate's version of the Conservation and
Reinvestment Act would reinvest almost $3 billion annually in
federal Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas revenue back into
natural resources conservation through the following programs:

For bass fishing prospects on lakes larger than
1,000 acres, Lake Konawa in south-central Oklahoma appears to be
a promising destination, according to spring electrofishing data
released by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.

Covering 1,300 acres near Konawa, Lake Konawa
produced 188 bass per hour of electrofishing during this year's
surveys. That's a slight drop from last year, when it produced
207 bass per hour.

Ranking second was Dripping Springs Lake, which
produced more than 172 bass per hour during this year's
electrofishing bass surveys. The Department did not sample it
last year. Grand Lake in northeast Oklahoma ranked third with 145
bass per hour. That's a considerable jump from 1999, when it
produced 107 bass per hour.

If you're interested in big bass, Lake Konawa
topped that category, too. For each hour of electrofishing, it
produced about 84 bass per hour longer than 14 inches. That's a
slight jump from last year, when 81 bass per hour were longer
than 14 inches.

Grand Lake ranked second in that category with
about 56 bass per hour that were longer than 14 inches. Ranking
third was Lake Hudson (47 bass per hour over 14 inches), followed
by McGee Creek (34 bass per hour over 14 inches), Lake Texoma (29
bass per hour over 14 inches) and Lake Fuqua (28 bass per hour
over 14 inches).

"Lake Konawa has a good forage base, good
production and good recruitment, all of which indicate a healthy
bass fishery," said Kim Erickson, chief of fisheries for the
Department. "From what we've seen over the last few years,
it's been a very consistent producer during spring
sampling."

This year, no lake larger than 1,000 acres
produced a bass that exceeded 10 pounds. Lake Ellsworth produced
the largest bass during spring electrofishing, and it weighed 8.8
pounds. Two other lakes produced bass larger than eight pounds,
including Dripping Springs (8.7 pounds) and Webbers Falls (8.1
pounds).

Data from the springtime bass survey is divided
between that collected from lakes larger than 1,000 acres, and
lakes smaller than 1,000 acres. The data is used to determine the
health and trends of individual bass fisheries. Regional
fisheries management personnel capture bass using electrofishing
equipment, and then they weigh and measure each fish before
releasing them back into the water unharmed. The information
helps biologists determine which lakes might benefit from
specialized management techniques such as length and slot limits.

The Department rates a lake as high quality
when it produces more than 15 bass over 14 inches per hour of
electrofishing. Quality lakes yield more than 10 bass over 14
inches per hour of electrofishing, and those which produce fewer
than 10 per hour are considered below average.

In terms of total numbers of bass per hour,
lakes that yield more than 60 bass of any size per hour are rated
as high quality. Those producing 40 bass or more per hour are
considered "quality" lakes, and less than 40 per hour
are considered below average.

Among lakes smaller than 1,000 acres, Adair
Recreation Lake in Adair County produced the most bass per hour
during spring electrofishing surveys conducted by the Oklahoma
Department of Wildlife Conservation.

In terms of overall numbers, Adair Lake
produced 198 bass per hour of electrofishing, a big jump from
last year when it yielded 124 bass per hour. Ranking second was
Mountain Lake in Garvin Co., with nearly 183 bass per hour,
followed by Lake Raymond Gary in Choctaw Co. (128 bass per hour)
, Taylor Lake in Grady Co. (124 bass per hour) and American Horse
Lake in Blaine Co. (122 bass per hour).

Rounding out the top 10 small lakes were
Chimney Rock Lake in Mayes Co. (120 bass per hour), Okemah Lake
in Okfuskee Co. (101 bass per hour), Onapa Lake in McIntosh Co.
(96 bass per hour), Boomer Lake in Osage Co. (90 bass per hour),
and Sportsman Lake in Seminole County (90 bass per hour).

For numbers of bass larger than 14 inches per
hour of electrofishing, Mountain Lake was the top producer with
137. Durant Lake was a distant second with more than 67 bass per
hour over 14 inches, followed by Okemah Lake (61 bass per hour
over 14 inches) Lake Raymond Gary in Choctaw Co. (36 bass per
hour over 14 inches), and Lake Fairfax in Osage Co. (nearly 35
bass per hour over 14 inches)

No lake smaller than 1,000 acres produced a
largemouth weighing 10 pounds or more, but three - Sportsman
Lake, Lake Raymond Gary and Lake Holdenville - each produced a
bass weighing more than eight pounds. Sportsman Lake produced one
that weighed 8.9 pounds, Raymond Gary yielded one that weighed
8.8 pounds, and Lake Holdenville produced one that weighed 8.5
pounds.

Lake Watonga in Blaine Co., yielded a 7.5-pound
bass, and Lake Vincent in Ellis Co., produced a 7.2-pounder.

Since only a few of Oklahoma's small lakes were
surveyed, Kim Erickson, chief of fisheries for the Department,
said that anglers shouldn't use the data as a comprehensive guide
to quality fishing in Oklahoma. Many other lakes that weren't
surveyed this year also have outstanding bass populations.

"Although the results of the survey can
help anglers find good places to fish, they're not the only
information anglers should use when making their decisions on
where to go," Erickson said. "There are hundreds of
small lakes across the state, and we can't survey all of them
every year. Based on the numbers, these are the best lakes we
surveyed this year, but they're not necessarily the best in the
state."

Electrofishing surveys are conducted by
regional fisheries management personnel to measure the health and
trends of individual bass fisheries. Bass captured during the
surveys are weighed, measured and released back into the water
unharmed. The information collected helps biologists determine
which lakes might benefit from specialized management techniques,
such as length or slot limits.

In evaluating electrofishing data, the
Department rates a lake as high quality when it produces more
than 15 bass over 14 inches per hour of electrofishing. Quality
lakes yield more than 10 bass over 14 inches per hour, while
those producing fewer than 10 are considered below average.

For total numbers of bass per hour, lakes that
yield more than 60 bass of any size per hour are rated as high
quality. Those producing 40 or more bass per hour are considered
"quality" lakes, and less than 40 per hour is
considered below average.

Anyone interested in quail research and
management should attend the first Bollenbach Quail Symposium
Aug. 4 at the Chisholm Trail Vo-Tech near Kingfisher.

Hosted by Dr. Fred Guthery, professor and
Bollenbach Chair of Wildlife Ecology at Oklahoma State, the
one-day symposium will focus on the major issues concerning
bobwhite quail management. It will also provide an opportunity
for landowners, hunters and other individuals to work more
closely to address these issues. Guthery is considered one of the
nation's leading authorities on bobwhite quail management and
research.

"I would like to get as many people as
possible involved in quail conservation and management issues and
encourage them to communicate with each other more
effectively," Guthery said. "We all have common
outlooks, and we're all concerned about quail populations. I also
hope to increase understanding about some of the new ideas that
have evolved about quail management."

Among the topics that will be discussed are
landowner and hunter issues, management techniques and strategies
relating to quail, deer and turkey; farm and ranch planning for
wildlife, landowner assistance programs, liability, the pros and
cons of quail feeding and management misconceptions, just to name
a few.

"Bobwhite quail are the traditional symbol
of Oklahoma's sporting culture, and we believe the Bollenbach
Quail Symposium will be an excellent forum to advocate better
quail management among private landowners," said Alan
Peoples, chief of wildlife for the Oklahoma Department of
Wildlife Conservation. "It will also be a valuable forum to
increase and improve dialog between hunters and landowners for
the benefit of quail."

Among a blue-ribbon panel of speakers will be
Alan Peoples, Russ Horton, John Hendrix and Steve Burge from the
Wildlife Department, as well as Dale Rollins from the Texas
Agricultural Extension Service, who is best known as the founder
of the Bobwhite Brigade youth program. Also on the program will
be Roger Wells, national habitat coordinator for Quail Unlimited.

Registration for the event will begin Aug. 4 at 8:30 a.m. The registration
fee is $20 before July 28, and $25 after July 28. The fee includes the price of
meals and materials.